The 7 Generations Institute (7GI) continued its Pan-Africa Family Office Awareness and Engagement Tour with a high-level convening in Lagos, focusing on how families and institutions can mobilize private wealth to advance development across the continent.

Held at the UNDP Innovation Centre in partnership with its Regional Bureau for Africa, Africa Prosperity Summit, African Philanthropy Forum, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the event brought together business leaders, investment institutions, philanthropists, development partners, and policymakers.

Participants examined how True Family Offices are emerging as comprehensive governance systems that strengthen family structures, preserve and grow wealth, steward capital responsibly, and promote inclusive, resilient development.

“True Family Office is a governance system strengthening family relationships, values, decision-making, well-being, next-generation readiness, and non-financial capital that underpins the creation and preservation of financial capital,” said Barry Johnson, founder and executive chair of 7 Generations Africa and 7GI. “Well-governed families lead to well-governed capital, which can catalyze entrepreneurship, support national systems, and advance continental development priorities.”

7GI presented a theory of change highlighting the broader impact of family governance: when African families manage their capital effectively, it is deployed productively and responsibly, boosting local economies and fostering long-term growth.

The Lagos event emphasized the role of African families in supporting entrepreneurship, infrastructure development, and innovation, while addressing challenges such as low awareness of Family Offices, limited regulatory guidance, and the historical outflow of African wealth to offshore centers.

“By building True Family Offices, African families can preserve wealth across generations and intentionally reinvest it into the continent,” said Sarah Stephen, Executive Director of 7GI. “Lagos demonstrated how ready African leaders are to design solutions tailored to African ambitions.”

This gathering in Lagos follows a November 3 convening in Nairobi and marks the second stop in a 15-country tour aimed at raising awareness, building capacity, and establishing policy frameworks to support the growth of True Family Offices across Africa.

Future stops include Cape Town, Kigali, Rabat, and Abidjan, alongside the launch of a continental Family Office Learning Network to facilitate peer exchange and technical development. The tour is part of 7GI’s mission to retain African private wealth, increase long-term investment in national priorities, and strengthen regional collaboration while creating globally aligned governance standards.